I made progress on a lot of my goals and ideas this year. I also had a few setbacks, which allowed me to determine if the goal or idea is worth reassessing or if I should scrap it altogether. I also doubted myself, wondering if I was doing the right thing.

I would’ve quit, however, quitting won’t get me where I want to be. I refused to give up. With my goals in mind, I restrategized and carried on. I’m thankful for the process of growth that I’ve experienced this year. The progress, the setbacks, and the doubts were all learning experiences that helped me better myself and sharpen my focus.

I love talking about intuition (click here and here for earlier posts). This year, intuition helped me avoid some potentially sticky situations. I had opportunities that appeared to be awesome on the outside. My support system would give me the green light of approval, but I couldn’t knock the feeling that something wasn’t right.

I understood the importance of having a support system long ago. I needed people around me who had my best interest in mind, even if their honesty was brutal. This year, I learned another lesson about my support system:

I had a small support system of 5-6 people initially. When I reached out those 5-6 people, only 2-3 would always show up. What was the point of having those extra people if I can’t depend on them?

RuPaul/Giphy.com

After trimming the fat, my support system now consists of 2-3 people. When I was too stubborn to listen to their thoughts and opinions, they could’ve let me drown in my stubbornness. Instead, they waited patiently for me to get my shi*t together. They cheered for me when I couldn’t cheer for myself. Most importantly, they genuinely care about my well-being.

My appreciation for these people runs deeper than words can express. I’m thankful for all that they’ve done and continue to do for me.

The Universe went out of her way to throw some curveballs my way this year. When I decided that I wanted to “Stay Ready” this year, I’m convinced that Universe not only heard me, but she was testing me.

I would get thisclose to checking off a goal and then WHAM, an unexpected expense would pop up. Don’t you hate that? I could approach this situation in two ways:

One: I could wave the white flag of defeat and wallow in my failure.

Two: I can figure out how I can check off the goal AND how I can handle the unexpected expense without it negatively affecting me.

I ain’t gonna lie (yes, you read that right), it’s way easier for me to wave the white flag of defeat than it is to carry on. But because I promised myself that I was going to make this goal happen, I’m hellbent on seeing it through.

Here’s where persistence comes in.

Persistence is a skill that I didn’t always appreciate. Why? Because it required me to keep going, even when I would rather throw my hands up and quit. But, when I want something, I want something. I do research, create a master plan, and even a few “just in case” contingency plans.

I refuse to allow anyone and anything, including myself, to get in the way of what I want in life.